This invention relates to a new and improved strut suitable for use in holding open a door or other closure, such as a radome cover, an access panel, a cowl door, and the like. The strut is moveable between a collapsed position when the door is closed and an extended position when the door is open, and the strut must provide for locking in the open or extended position.
A conventional strut has some mechanism for locking the strut in the extended position and a trigger or catch which unlocks the strut and permits collapse of the strut and closure of the door. However, in the conventional strut, the trigger or catch must be held in the unlocked position until the door is moved toward the closed position. This is a difficult operation to carry out when two or more struts are used for large doors and other closures. Typically, two people are required for such an operation, with each person holding a catch in the unlocked position until they move the door toward the closed position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved collapsible strut which will automatically lock when moved to the extended position and which provides for maintaining the catch in the unlocked condition during the closure operation, with the catch then automatically returning to the locked position when the strut is fully collapsed. The strut may be moved from the collapsed position to the extended position and will automatically lock in the extended position without requiring any manual actuation on the catch.
Other objects, advantages, features and results will more fully appear in the course of the following description.